The Five Heartless Scumbag Alphas Turned Against Each Other Because Of Me - Chapter 26

Zheng Jinyu froze, momentarily stunned by Tan Hua’s blunt rejection.

It took her several seconds to gather herself before she raised her voice—unconsciously fueled by frustration:
“You really don’t want to leave her? You like being around her that much?”

“Yes.”

Tan Hua’s eyes were burning, almost scorching through the last shred of Zheng Jinyu’s emotional defenses.

Zheng Jinyu’s face went pale. “Why?”

What on earth does Lu Huaixu have that’s worth this level of obsession?
Why won’t she even listen to me anymore?

“New lovers have a certain novelty to them, don’t they?” Tan Hua said with a half-smile, gaze fixed sharply on her.
“Wasn’t it the same joy you felt when you got close to other Omegas?”

“I told you,” Zheng Jinyu replied quickly, words rushing out, “she’s just a subordinate—strictly work-related. I never had any improper intentions toward her.”

Bringing up the past made her flustered, her tone increasingly urgent as if speeding up would somehow make her innocence more convincing.

Tan Hua yawned, clearly losing patience.
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”

“Whatever your relationship was—whether you two were just colleagues or rolling around in bed naked fighting each other—it has nothing to do with me.”

She tilted her head, smiling sweetly.
“Anything else? If not, I’d like to get some rest now.”

Just like that, all the things Zheng Jinyu had wanted to say were smashed to pieces by one simple sentence.

She looked at Tan Hua, her expression complicated. The woman in front of her felt… unfamiliar.

After a moment, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said softly,
“I’ll come check on you later.”

“No need.”

Tan Hua rejected her flatly.

Zheng Jinyu glanced at her, clearly displeased. Tan Hua lazily stared up at the ceiling and added,
“If people found out about our past just because you were acting all concerned… that would be unfortunate, wouldn’t it?”

She smiled faintly, her red lips curving upward.
“I’m just thinking of your reputation, President Zheng.”

Zheng Jinyu likely left in anger. Tan Hua clearly saw the fleeting flash of resentment and frustration in her eyes before she turned away.

She was certain—if the time and place had been any different, Zheng Jinyu wouldn’t have walked away so easily.

The system was bewildered.
“Host, weren’t you the one trying everything to seduce Zheng Jinyu before? And now that she’s offering you a shady entanglement, you suddenly don’t want it?”

Tan Hua shot it a chilly glare.
“What do you take me for—some kind of farm mule?”

“Even actual farm mules get to rest more than I do.”

The system fell silent. Then, in a small voice, it mumbled,
“I just thought you liked that kind of high-intensity… multi-player activity, even if it’s exhausting…”

Tan Hua: “???”

Expressionless, she replied,
“I already work 8 hours a day at a job, and then in my off time, I have to deal with the unreasonable whims of three different Alphas.”

“You really don’t care at all about your host’s physical or mental health, do you?”

The system, sensing another spiral of madness incoming, quickly changed the subject:
“Mu Wanyi is back.”

“But she’s still hiding outside the door.”

Suddenly, Mu Wanyi felt a chill run down her spine. She glanced over her shoulder—no one there.

But then Tan Hua’s voice rang out from inside the room:
“Wanyi? Is that you?”

The voice sounded exactly as it always had, but Mu Wanyi shuddered.

After a few seconds of internal struggle, she finally closed her eyes, took a breath, and stepped through the door.
“It’s me.”

“I brought you some cold medicine, and I had someone in the kitchen make ginger soup. Drink it while it’s hot to get rid of the chill,” she said quickly, handing over the bowl—then just as quickly retreated, putting distance between them.

Tan Hua raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.
“Am I that scary?”

Mu Wanyi’s eyelid twitched.
“No, not at all,” she denied with a weak laugh. Then she scrambled for an excuse,
“It’s just… the pheromone smell in here is kind of strong. I’m not used to it.”

Hearing that, Tan Hua gave a little sniff—
Nothing.

Mu Wanyi noticed her reaction and quickly changed the topic.
“So what did Zheng Jinyu come back for?”

She added earnestly,
“You’d better not fall for her tricks again. Girls like her, born with everything, always look down on us Omegas from humble backgrounds.”

“To them, we’re just toys—summoned when needed and discarded when not.”

“They never truly see us as people.”

“You were way too obsessed with her back then. That’s why…”

Mu Wanyi suddenly stopped herself.

She glanced at Tan Hua’s expression—neutral, unbothered. After a few seconds, she cautiously continued,
“Anyway, it’s all in the past now.”

Back when everything happened between Tan Hua and Zheng Jinyu, they hadn’t exactly kept it a secret from Mu Wanyi. So just from Tan Hua’s few casual remarks, Mu Wanyi was able to piece together a lot.

She had indeed been jealous—jealous that even Tan Hua’s random sugar mama turned out to be far better than her own husband. She’d also quietly enjoyed watching Tan Hua get coldly dumped by Zheng Jinyu.

But deep down, she still didn’t want Tan Hua to be one of those hopeless romantic Omegas who lost their minds over love.

For people like them, Omegas from the bottom of the ladder, one wrong step could mean losing everything.

“So anyway,” Mu Wanyi said, hiding her pettiness behind a kind tone, “you really shouldn’t hold out hope for Zheng Jinyu. Alphas like her probably change women more often than they change clothes.”

Which—credit where it’s due—wasn’t exactly wrong.

Back when the original Tan Hua had secretly married Zheng Jinyu, the Alpha’s office had no shortage of fair-skinned, pretty secretaries. There was a personal assistant, a life assistant… The original Tan Hua hadn’t cared much about the fake marriage at first, but after receiving open hostility from the women around Zheng Jinyu for long enough, she had no choice but to get emotionally involved.

She started questioning Zheng Jinyu, feeling aggrieved and furious. To her, Zheng Jinyu didn’t respect her at all—tossing her dignity to the ground and stepping all over it.

But to Zheng Jinyu, Tan Hua had only ever been a temporary diversion—someone she assumed knew her place and wouldn’t interfere with her personal affairs.

Their arguments became frequent and heated. What had begun as a gentle, well-mannered Omega soon turned into someone paranoid and emotional. Zheng Jinyu felt suffocated, and finally snapped—proposing divorce.

At first, the original Tan Hua had refused outright. But then, for some reason, she had a sudden change of heart. She agreed to the divorce without hesitation, and immediately found herself three new financial backers: Lu Huaixu, Wen Xian, and Sheng Yiheng.

Thinking about it now, Tan Hua couldn’t help but admire her predecessor—that was some serious stamina.

To this day, Zheng Jinyu didn’t know exactly what kind of shady financial arrangements Tan Hua might have with others. But just from how flirtatious and close she was with Lu Huaixu, it was already enough to make Zheng Jinyu feel deeply unsettled.

They just got divorced. And she’s already lining up new suitors?

Technically, Tan Hua had nothing to do with her anymore. But seeing her so carefree—completely over it, like there had never been anything between them at all—filled Zheng Jinyu with an indescribable frustration.

When they first got close, Tan Hua had been devoted, attentive, full of care. Now that they’d separated, she poured all of that affection onto other Alphas without missing a beat.

It made Zheng Jinyu feel as if—to Tan Hua, all she ever needed was just an Alpha who met her criteria. It didn’t even matter who that Alpha was.

Tan Hua didn’t care whether Zheng Jinyu was upset or not.

Grinning, she looked at Mu Wanyi.
“You’re right. With so many trees in the forest, why hang myself on just one?”

She eyed Mu Wanyi’s elegant figure and clicked her tongue in mock pity.
“You got married way too early.”

Mu Wanyi: “?!”

Stunned, she pointed at Tan Hua, speechless.
“You—you—you—”

Her brain spun, unable to decide whether to be offended or flustered. She wanted to scold Tan Hua, but was too afraid of saying something that might be used against her.

So instead, she quickly changed the subject.
“When you fell into the pool earlier, Mrs. Cheng and Lu Huaixu both jumped in to save you. Now everyone’s speculating about your identity.”

“When you go back out, people are definitely going to start asking questions.”

She offered a kind suggestion:
“If you don’t want to deal with them, just say you’re feeling unwell and stay in the room to rest.”

Tan Hua, however, was already itching to move. She stared eagerly at the door.
“Of course I’m going out. Why wouldn’t I?”

“There are so many beautiful, charming women at this party tonight—and I’ve barely met any of them.”

She hopped out of bed and started putting on her shoes.

With Lu Huaixu still tied up in conversation, this was the perfect time to go out and scout for more potential clients.

Tan Hua was completely determined. No matter how much Mu Wanyi tried to stop her, she wouldn’t budge. In fact, she even seemed annoyed at being nagged and left Mu Wanyi behind without hesitation.

Mu Wanyi looked around the now-empty room, then glanced at Tan Hua’s quickly disappearing figure.

Worry crept into her heart.

If Lu Huaixu comes back and finds Tan Hua missing…, will she blame me for it?

Mu Wanyi had no choice but to quietly follow Tan Hua from a distance.

But the more she watched, the more shocked she became. She began to suspect that maybe—just maybe—she had never truly understood her lifelong “best friend.”

Was this smooth, socially gifted Omega truly the same Tan Hua she used to know?

Tan Hua’s tactics weren’t even that clever—if anything, they were a bit clumsy. But somehow, they worked. The Alphas responded to her. They smiled. They were polite. Some even showed signs of real interest.

Mu Wanyi unconsciously touched her own face, suddenly feeling a twinge of regret.

If I hadn’t gotten married so early… would I be able to attract Alphas like she does?

Meanwhile, Tan Hua could hardly contain her joy.

Tonight’s banquet was full of Alphas—handsome, refined, elegant. Each one was more attractive than the last.

She felt like she’d wandered into a flower field—her eyes almost couldn’t take it all in.

In just one evening, she had added over twenty Alpha contacts to her phone. Holding her device, her mind was spinning from the sheer excitement.

This is too good to be true.

But she barely had a few minutes to bask in the glow of her success before something strange happened.

The Alphas who had just been surrounding her suddenly scattered like startled birds.

Tan Hua blinked, confused, waving after them,
“Hey—where are you all going?”

“Weren’t we going to have dinner together?!”

But her words only seemed to make them walk even faster.

She scratched her eyebrow, baffled—until she noticed something off in the air. The pressure had dropped.

She paused. Then a gut instinct kicked in—and she whipped around.

Behind her stood Lu Huaixu, hands in her pockets, gazing at her with calm, sharp eyes.

“Having fun?” she asked, voice mild.

Tan Hua instantly snapped to attention, standing up straight with a sheepish, obedient look.
“Not at all.”

She shook her head quickly.
“No other intention, President Lu. I just figured, the more friends I have, the more options I have in the future.”

“I mean, I only got the chance to be here thanks to your generosity. If I don’t take the opportunity to network a little… what if you get tired of me and toss me aside? I’ll need to line up my next job, right?”

Lu Huaixu narrowed her eyes.
“So this was your exit strategy? Lining up your next… sponsor?”

Tan Hua: “…”

Why does it sound so weird when she calls the other Alphas “sponsors”…?

“I didn’t originally think that way,” Tan Hua muttered after a beat. “But now that you mention it, it’s not a bad strategy for boosting my survival rate…”

She didn’t even finish the thought before Lu Huaixu grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her away from the crowd—like she was a misbehaving kitten.

“Ow—ow ow ow!” Tan Hua winced, raising a hand to her neck.
“You’re pressing on my gland!”

Her expression twisted in pain, all trace of her usual elegance gone.

Lu Huaixu’s steps paused. Her gaze swept over Tan Hua’s nape, unreadable.

A moment later, she released her grip.

But she didn’t let Tan Hua go that easily.
“Follow me,” she ordered.

The Alpha’s tone left no room for argument.

Tan Hua pouted but shuffled after her in little steps, grumbling,
“President Lu, I finally get invited to a place like this. Can’t I take the chance to meet a few more people?”

“If I leave without networking, I’ll feel like the whole night was wasted—”

Lu Huaixu suddenly stopped.

Tan Hua, distracted, walked right into her.

Still not giving up, Tan Hua looked up, about to argue again—when Lu Huaixu turned and asked coldly,
“Can you even handle that many Alphas?”

Excuse me? Tan Hua immediately puffed up in indignation. Her eyes widened, back straight, and she was about to shout, ‘That’s nothing! Easy!’

But when she met Lu Huaixu’s unsettling gaze, she shrank back down.

“…I can’t,” she admitted obediently.

“That’s what I thought.”

Lu Huaixu stood there with her hands in her pockets, voice calm and unhurried.

She was tall—tall enough that even just standing still, doing nothing, she gave off an air of pressure that made people instinctively lower their voices.

“And besides,” she added suddenly, almost sounding kind, “there’s no point in collecting their contact info.”

“They only gave it to you because they thought maybe—just maybe—they could have a one-night stand with you and not be responsible for anything afterward.”

What the hell? Tan Hua blinked in disbelief.

But a beat later, she let out a short laugh and rolled her eyes. She turned her head and scoffed at the system,
“I’d love to see which Alpha dares to try and sleep with me and then ghost me.”

The system silently echoed her confidence in its heart:
Anyone who dares deceive this host? Even their ancestors’ ashes from 800 years ago wouldn’t be safe.

That faint look of disdain on Tan Hua’s face didn’t escape Lu Huaixu.

She tilted her head slightly, studying her with newfound curiosity.

The Omega, who had come knocking on her door asking to play the role of Cheng Yuan’s stand-in, was turning out to be far more interesting than she had anticipated.

Truth be told, Lu Huaixu hadn’t planned on entertaining the idea at all back then.

It was just a slow patch—work was dull, life even duller—and suddenly this bold little Omega practically offered herself up as entertainment. So Lu Huaixu thought, Why not? Something to pass the time.

But now… this particular “entertainment” was giving her far more surprises than expected.

A faint smirk curved Lu Huaixu’s lips.
“If you like these kinds of events, there’ll be more opportunities.”

“Really?” Tan Hua’s eyes lit up with interest, her excitement returning full force.
“Then, President Lu, will you continue paying to bring me along next time?”

Her tone was casual, but every word circled around one thing: money.

She wasn’t shy about it at all. In fact, she practically radiated a love for wealth.

Lu Huaixu had never met a woman so blatantly money-minded—and so unapologetic about it.

Oddly enough, she found that quite charming.

“Sure,” Lu Huaixu said after a moment. “But I do feel like I’m getting the short end of the deal.”

She turned slightly, gaze fixed on Tan Hua’s eager expression.
“Think about it. You haven’t really done anything, and yet every time, I pay you a generous commission.”

Tan Hua frowned, suddenly realizing the logic in that.

“Well then…” she hesitated for a moment, then lowered her eyes bashfully, her voice soft and hesitant.

“If you don’t mind, I could… maybe offer some other services in return?”

“For example—”

ZAP!

She didn’t even finish the sentence before the system shocked her, right on cue.

[System, deadpan and stern:]
“Host, please refrain from making suggestive or borderline indecent comments.”

Tan Hua’s eyelid twitched. She was just about to explode at the system when suddenly—

A wave of sharp, heady scent hit her. It was thick, piney, and laced with something cold yet invigorating—like the scent of fresh mountain air after a storm.

The alpha’s pheromones.

It surged through the air in a dense cloud, instantly making her dizzy.

As heat flushed across her cheeks, Tan Hua finally realized—Lu Huaixu was deliberately trying to seduce her.

Her breathing grew shallow. Her lips were dry. Her whole body began to overheat.

Just as her mind went blank, a large hand gently brushed across the back of her neck.

Tan Hua sucked in a breath, her body trembling as her muscles involuntarily tensed up.

A prickling sensation ran up her spine. Her heart slammed against her ribcage like it was trying to burst free.

“President Lu,” she blurted, her tone suddenly serious, almost meek.
“I was just joking earlier.”

Lu Huaixu’s eyes curved slightly, her voice smooth and easy.
“I wasn’t.”

Four words. Calm, almost casual—yet deafening in Tan Hua’s ears.

Her face went pale.
She immediately called out to the system, panicking:
“System! Wasn’t Lu Huaixu supposed to be hopelessly in love with the female lead?”

“Yeah,” the system replied blankly. “She is.”

“Then what the hell is this seduction thing she’s doing right now?” Tan Hua scowled, suddenly feeling that something was very off.
“Don’t tell me she’s so deep into the role she can’t snap out of it—and now she wants to make the fake thing real?”

She flicked her hair back dramatically.
“Tch. My cursed, irresistible charm strikes again!”

The system was speechless.
Host, your self-confidence is thicker than the city wall.

If I had half your delusion and ego, I’d have long since become a top-ranking AI instead of being stuck in this absurd melodrama with a gremlin for a host.

Tan Hua, slightly flustered now, hesitated.
“This doesn’t seem very… appropriate.”

She blinked.
“What if Cheng Yuan comes back and finds out what’s going on between us?”

She looked genuinely concerned—for Lu Huaixu.
“Wouldn’t that ruin your chances with her? I mean, let’s be honest—chastity is an Alpha’s greatest dowry.”

Lu Huaixu let out a low laugh, eyes narrowing.

Her tone was relaxed—like she was making a casual joke over dinner.
“Then I’ll just get rid of you.”

Her voice dropped slightly as she said it, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

“If you’re gone, then no one else would know. Just you, and me.”

Tan Hua: “!”

“So this is what they mean by ‘the most ruthless heart belongs to a woman,’” Tan Hua grumbled. “I was just looking out for her—now she’s trying to kill me.”

She was still muttering angrily when Lu Huaixu leaned in without warning.

Warm breath brushed against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. Tan Hua froze.

Before she could react, something sharp and pointed pressed lightly against the tender skin of her nape.

Fangs.
Fangs. At. Her. Gland.

She didn’t doubt for a second—if Lu Huaixu applied just a bit more pressure, her gland would be pierced.

The fact that she might be temporarily marked was one thing. The real issue was—

She was nearing her heat cycle.

If Lu Huaixu injected her with pheromones now, there was a very real chance she’d get pregnant!

Tan Hua panicked instantly. Her voice shook as she blurted out,
“Wait, wait! President Lu, let’s not be hasty—think this through!”

“Please be careful. Think twice before acting.”

“If you mark me during this phase, there’s a 99.9% chance I’ll end up pregnant with your baby!”

“You don’t want to be a tragically young parent, right?”

Lu Huaixu: “…?”
The hell is a “tragically young parent” supposed to mean?

She slowly loosened her grip, then turned to gaze at Tan Hua up close.

She’d always known Tan Hua was pretty. But at this proximity, she noticed details she hadn’t before.

Delicate skin. Soft hair. Slender bones. Every inch perfectly proportioned—beautiful but not venomous, clean and elegant like a snow-white rose.

Her pheromones smelled faintly of camellias—subtle but rich. Combined with the Omega’s calm, tender expression at that moment, it was… extremely alluring.

Lu Huaixu found herself oddly unwilling to let her go.

She let out a quiet chuckle and murmured,
“Not bad.”

Tan Hua blinked.
“…What’s not bad?”

“I’ve got all this inheritance and no one to leave it to,” Lu Huaixu said casually.
“If you give me an heir, with your looks and my intelligence and genes, she’d probably turn out… extraordinary.”

“You know what? The more I think about it, the more tempting it sounds.”

Tan Hua’s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes went wide in horror.

“Are you okay?” she asked, panicking.
“I’ve always seen you as my half-sister from another mister. And you want me to… have your baby?!”

“That’s incest! Society would never accept this!”

Lu Huaixu raised a brow slightly. She hadn’t backed away—her posture still too close, her pheromones wrapping around Tan Hua like a net.

“Oh?” she said slowly.
“When you put it like that… it’s even more exciting.”

“You like exciting things, don’t you?”

Tan Hua stared, stunned.
She’s insane.

The system: …And you’re any better?

Tan Hua was visibly shaken.
“She knows me way too well.”

Then muttered to herself:
“…But what she’s proposing… might not be totally off the table.”

“Hua Hua.”

The voice made her freeze mid-thought.
Wait a minute.
That tone. That sudden shift in how she was being addressed.

Was Lu Huaixu getting all soft and intimate now too?

But then she heard the second sentence—and her entire brain cleared in an instant.

That wasn’t Lu Huaixu.

That was Zheng Jinyu.

She spun around, wide-eyed and guilty, staring straight into the cold, unreadable expression of the one Alpha who had most definitely not left the premises.

Zheng Jinyu stood there, her eyes shadowed, her tone flat and calm—but every syllable landed like a slap.

Her red lips curled slightly in a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Are you pregnant?”

Tan Hua: “???”

Zheng Jinyu, internally: I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose it.

Author’s note: yes, there are some fictional liberties and setups here—just enjoy the messy melodrama!

Tan Hua: ??
Ex-wife: I AM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND.